Born from the Ashes
by Ashflight1699
Summary: Rebel girl. Cat lady. Common sense. These are the nicknames given to Clove Barton. But after a horrifying incident the name Experiment Accident joined the others. Or is that all she is?
1. Chapter 1: Phoenix's Common Sense Riddle

**Clove: Hi ****I'm a new Avengers wrtier! I hope you like my story!**

******Mint: Ya you better, or I'll-**

******Thyme: We get the point Mint. You gotta Mint he's...protective.**

******Cinna: Or he's just plain nuts.**

******Mint: -dangerously calm- Say that again, sis?**

******Cinna: You- are- nuts.**

******Clove: Lets go on with the story before World War 3 breaks out.**

* * *

******Phoenix's View:**

Phoenix sat as calm as ever on the rooftop of S.H.I.E.L.D's supposidely secure base. Guards patrolled below her unaware that their wanted target sat above their very heads. Three stone statues of S.H.I.E.L.D agents were gifts from her to Nick Fury. Speaking of Nick, she watched him enter furious into his room followed closely by the archer, Hawkeye. Phoenix smiled. She knew it could only be about her.

"How does she do it, Clint? Always three steps ahead of us! But this time, she has not only anticipated our ambush but left some sort of a riddle!" growled Nick.

_Puh-leez._ thought Phoenix to herself, _You call that a riddle? More like common sense._

Hawkeye took a piece of parchment from him and read it.

"_Here's a clue of sorts about me. I took nothing that wasn't mine_. But that's not right, she took confidential files on civilians. They're not hers but S.H.I.E.L.D's."

"So you think.",muttered Phoenix. Then she backed away from the sky window.

"Did you hear something?",said Nick sharply.

Hawkeye looked up, saw nothing, then shook his head.

"No, it must be the wind."

Phoenix decided it was time to go. Slowly creeping down the roof, she turned into a rattlesnake. Slithering past guards, unnoticed, she headed for the prison area. She was hoping to run into someone.


	2. Chapter 2: The Shape Shifting Idea

**Ash (My actual nickname): Sorry, that last chapter was regrettably short. But now we will-**

**Cinna: TIME WARP!**

**Ash: Er, yes, time warp to the past.**

**Thyme: Really? I wanna see this!**

**Mint: She's joking Thyme. *Shoots an uncertain look at Ash* You are, right?**

**Ash: I refuse to dignify that question with an answer...At least not until the chapter's done.**

**Mint: *Utterly miffed***

**Ash: Let's get on with the story then!**

* * *

**Clove's View:**

Nobody, absolutely _nobody_, would have guessed that Phoenix was once a peppy, snappy, and completely normal teenager by anyone's standards. So much so, that Clove wasn't even considered to be in any way related to Phoenix. But Clove would have been a normal girl if hadn't been for Dr. Hasahad's chemical spill.

_8 months earlier..._

"Fenn! Fennel! Don't you walk out on me! I have a lock to pick with you, secret keeper!"

Clove Barton, 16, went flying down the sidewalk to catch up with her twin. Fenn,Fennel Barton, went on walking as though he hadn't heard her, even though Clove was yelling at the top of her voice. Clove, having caught up with him, launched herself on him punching his shoulder repeatedly.

"OW!OW! CLOVE! OFF!" ,he yelled,"All right, so what if I have a crush?! She's none of your concern!"

"I-think-so!", hissed Clove between punches. "I'm your darn twin! Just wait till I tell dad!"

Fenn went whiter than snow. Clint Barton wasn't really their dad, but he as strict as one. Clove, Fenn, and three other siblings were rescued, in Russia from a feared assassin, Black Widow. Their parents weren't so lucky. He took them in because no one else would, though he was unmarried.

"You wouldn't." ,whispered Fenn, mortified.

"Maybe I would. You obviously don't know me as much as I expected." ,replied Clove wickedly. "So is it...Seraphina? No? Cecily? Or-" Clove shot him a sly grin.

"-is it Ariana?"

The reaction was instant. His jawline thinned and he went paler than he usually did.

"No."

"You are a _terrible_ liar, you know that?"

"I don't know who you are talking about."

"Fess up, or I'll sing like a bird to dad." ,she taunted.

"As I said, you wouldn't." ,he said trying to appear nonchalant, but his eyes betrayed fear and utter horror.

"You're too ignorant for your own good."

"All right!" ,he exploded. "What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing." ,came the simple reply. "I just wanted to know. And you were right; I wasn't really going to tell dad."

He kept a particularly murderous face for the next five minutes.

"Hey, you peeps! Clove, Fennel!"

The two siblings whirled around and found themselves nearly face to face with a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Clove swallowed nervously.

"Something wrong, sir?"

The agent took off the mask and Clove gave a sigh of relief.

"Dr. Hashish! Don't _do_ that!"_  
_

Sammad Hashish was a young man, in his mid-20's or so. He had dark brown hair and matching eyes. He was new to S.H.I.E.L.D, and often took the freedom to show them chemicals, as he knew the pair loved Chemistry.

"What's up, Sam?" ,asked Fenn.

"The sky." ,was Dr. Hashish's reply, and Fenn made a face.

"What was that about a crush, Fenn? Someone finally melted your Ice Age worthy heart?"

Clove coughed into her fist, and Fenn scowled.

"Come on, Doc, you didn't come here to talk about personal life, did you?"

"No, your right. I've been working on-"

"-a serum for shape-shifting." ,chorused the twins.

"We know, Doc." ,added Fenn.

"How-?" ,began Dr Hashish before remembering that Clint Barton was also part of S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Well, anyways, I think I may have succeeded! I just have to test them on the mice! You want to come?"

The twins exchanged nervous looks.

"Hold up, Doc. What is the definition of _success_ in this experiment? Not blowing up another mouse in the process?" ,asked Clove, going a bit green.

"Well the definition of success in this experiment is the mouse turning into whatever it thinks up. And, no, the side effects does not say blowing up is one of them, Clove."

Clove felt relieved and nodded.

"This way!" ,cried Dr. Hashish and raced off toward the lab. The twins exchanged one more unsure look before dashing after him.

* * *

_At the present..._

**Phoenix's POV:**

****As a rattlesnake, she was starting to attract more attention than she wanted. Already she had scared a lot of guards (one screamed like a girl) and she was starting to regret taking such a fearful form.

_Should've taken a form of a dormouse. _,grumbled Phoenix in her head as yet another guard yelped and jumped aside. Deciding to give a sign she despised his act, Phoenix-rattlesnake hissed and spat poisonous words (he heard nothing but angry hissing of course) before continuing on her way. The guard followed her with dish eyes as she passed.

Finally spotting no guards, she changed into a black cat and bounded toward the nearby prison bay.

_Not getting away from me tonight, Loki._


	3. Chapter 3: The Silver Eyes

**Ash: Have you ever-**

**Cinna:-been stuck-**

**Mint: -IN A GOVERNMENT LAB?!**

**Thyme: It's-**

**Cinna:-dull-**

**Mint:-eery-**

**Ash:-disgusting, and worst of all-**

**All:-FULL OF CHEMICALS!**

* * *

**Fenn's View:**

Fenn looked around S.H.I.E.L.D's lab. It wasn't very different from a school laboratory, except it was larger. It still had gray walls, dim lights with occasional spurts of neon light. He looked around and saw three small white mice running around the caged walls, squeaking. Clove shrank away from them. He suppressed a snicker when she glared at him, daring him to laugh. He remembered when Clove had cooed over a lab mouse and it had exploded in her hand. She had suffered a severe stomach ache for three days after the incident. She had always avoided lab subjects since then.

"Ah, Dr. Hashish!" ,called a sharp, intelligent voice. "Are we ready to- _Dear boy, what are you thinking, bringing children to the laboratory?!_"_  
_

Dr. Hashish flinched before answering, "They already know what this experiment is about, Dr. Hasahad, and they're accustomed to a lab setting. Besides they're, _Clint's_ kids."

"Clint?" ,repeated Dr. Hasahad, clueless, "Clint who?"

Dr. Hashish tutted.

"Clint Barton! Do you know any _other_ Clint in S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Dr. Hasahad's cheeks colored a little bit, but he shook his head.

"Just don't touch anything." ,he muttered to the twins, before pulling on latex gloves. He pulled out a white mouse, which immediately began squeaking in a panic. He turned to Dr. Hashish who turned to the only vial on a small silver table. He picked up the vial and took it to Dr. Hasahad, who put a glass eyedropper into the strange silvery substance inside.

He removed a good quantity, and the eyedropper hovered over the desperate mouse. A single drop fell on the mouse's sleek white fur. It discolored the white fur for a few seconds before being absorbed. Dr. Hasahad gave a sigh of satisfaction.

"Good." ,he said, putting the mouse back in the cage with the others, "We shall see if we can figure out which mouse was our test subject tomorrow."

Fenn scooted over to Dr. Hashish.

"Exactly _how _will the mouse shape-shift?"

Dr. Hashish chuckled, "Surely the mouse sees things around it! If it thinks hard enough about a certain item or animal, it should become it."

"Even a human?"

Dr. Hashish nodded.

"Even a human, but I assure you, if it does turn into a human, it will probably remain constrained by the cage."

Clove winced beside Fenn.

"Clove, dear, this mouse won't feel pain. We're going to add anesthetic to it right after- never mind, now."

Dr. Hasahad rubbed a lotion onto the mouse, and then closed the cage after it.

"That should do the trick." ,sighed Dr. Hasahad. He began clearing up the table.

"So the mouse won't spread the chemical to other mice even if it rubs up against another one?" ,asked Clove.

"Yes. The first stage of the experiment is a success. The mouse's skin absorbed the solution, hopefully every single molecule."

"Hopefully?" ,said Fenn dubiously.

"Well you can never be sure. Vertebrates are, unfortunately, unpredictable compared to invertebrates such as snails."

"So why didn't you test the solution on snails?" , chirped Clove.

"Well," ,said Dr. Hashish , now very amused, "They're not vertebrates like humans are they?"

"You're going to test this on _humans_?"

" Yes, after the mouse. Which brings us in a full and complete circle." ,said Dr. Hashish patiently.

Fenn coughed in amusement and Clove punched him on the shoulder. Hard. He yelped so loudly, Dr. Hashish jumped and Dr. Hasahad slipped on an unnoticed puddle of water. He had been holding the flask of shape-shifting potion. It went flying spilling nothing. Until it crashed and shattered on Clove's head. Clove screamed.

**Clove's View:**

Clove screamed and clawed at her eyes and hair. The chemical had seeped behind her eyelids, and it _burned_. She heard Fenn yelling something at her, but it was drowned in her frantic shrieking and the yells from the two doctors. Someone dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on her head. Her yells were reduced to shivers and whimpers. Someone grabbed her hand, yelling frantically into her ear to open her eyes. She shook them off, and fled, cracking her eyes so she could see. She pushed open the women's' bathroom. Still chattering furiously, she pushed her drenched hair from her face, and began washing her eyes. She dared to look into the mirror. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her hair was normal, except for being deflated, and there were no burns on her skin, as she had expected, but her _eyes_. They were not their general color of amber, but silver. As silver as the potion. Slowly, it turned an electric green, but it seemed to swirl within the silvery depths. Closing her eyes, she wished with all her might that her eyes return to their original color. She opened her eyes and sighed a breath of relief. Her eyes were not electric green and silver. They were just amber.

"Just hallucinating. Stop hyperventilating."

But just then a flash of silver flashed in her eyes, a reminder that she was no longer normal.

**Phoenix's View:**

Phoenix had slipped past the guards successfully. She was so close...so close. The consequences of being noticed almost meant nothing now. She was just feet from his prison. Turning another corner, she saw no guard patrolling the corridor.

_This cannot be where he resides._

She was about to keep going, until she saw snow white hand press itself against the reinforced clear walls. Tendrils of ice spread across its surface, but it simply melted away. The hand curled up into a fist and banged the wall. Phoenix jumped, her black cat fur standing on end. She smoothed her ruffled self and came to the grim conclusion. It _was_ him. She stepped toward the glass prison, deliberately slow. She sat, curling her long black tail over her paws. He turned, ice blue eyes staring into yellow ones.

_Hello Loki._ , she said telepathically in a soft, musical voice. _Miss me?_

A look of shock dawned on his face. Phoenix smiled a cat's smile. A flash of silver crossed her eyes.

* * *

**Ash: Read and Review!**

**Cinna: Really? Isn't that a bit late?**

**Ash: *Shrug* I haven't been getting review recently, and I'm not posting a new chapter till I get at least four!**


	4. Chapter 4: Normal Life

**Ash: The reviews came rather late, but that's alright I suppose.**

**Cinna: You are way too forgiving.**

**Ash: Not always. I probably won't be so forgiving next time.**

**Mint: You said that last time...**

**Thyme: ...and the time before that...**

**Cinna: ...and the time before that!**

**Ash: *glare* That is besides the point! Besides I was late on the story too! Which reminds me, on with the story...**

* * *

**Clove's View**:

Four hours. That's how long it took to convince Dad, Fenn, and Mint she was perfectly okay. Thyme and Cinna just had an abnormal amount of curiosity.

"Did it burn?" asked Thyme, "Are you feeling different?"

"Are you going to shape-shift now?" chirped Cinna.

"No, no, and _no_." growled Clove, shaking off her little sisters. Thyme shrugged and tossed a lock of wavy jet-black hair over her shoulder, gray eyes indifferent. Cinna, being seven, pouted, her green eyes seeming to throw off tantrum sparks.

"I wanted you to be able to shape-shift!"

"You seem to be the only one." muttered Clove. Yawning, she pulled her band out of her long hair. Not bothering to change, she flopped onto her bed and fell asleep in an instant.

* * *

Thursday morning came and hit her on the head. Well, actually, Cinna did.

"WAKE UP! THERE'S SCHOOL!"

"Thank you, howler monkey." groaned Clove rubbing her head. Forcing herself out of bed, she dragged herself to the bathroom. The moment she entered the the threshold, the towel she had been standing on was pulled out from underneath her. Thyme screamed, "Out!" and the door slammed in Clove's face. Clove growled, "Thanks for waking me up for nothing, Cinnamon!"

"You're most welcome!" yelled Cinna. A dull thunk and a yelp told Clove that Mint had showed up and hit Cinna on the head. A heated argument began. Clove smirked, satisfied. A streak of black and red told Clove that Thyme had left the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth, threw on a rose colored shirt and jeans and sat at the small brown table. Fenn was already eating a bowl of cereal. He looked up with a worried expression.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine!" snapped Clove for what seemed to be the millionth time. Fenn flinched, and Clove instantly regretted her snappy response.

"Where's Dad?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"He went to early. He said something about 'serious trouble' and...I maybe wrong...Norse Guardians?" said Fenn swirling his cereal without appetite. Thyme and Mint exchanged confused looks. Cinna just seemed bored.

"Pish posh." she mumbled, uninterested, "Since when is dad ever home?"

"Oh, Cinna." sighed Clove "He does stay home for most weekends."

"Most." muttered Cinna, "Aurora's dad stays home _every_ weekend."

"Cinna!" said Mint sharply, "Is that jealousy I hear?"

Cinna didn't answer.

"I don't see Aurora's dad serving the nation like Dad." murmured Thyme softly, "He's just a lawyer."

"And lawyers are evil." added Mint. Thyme shot him a swift glance, and he had the decency to be ashamed, but Mint's gibe seemed to have lifted Cinna's spirits a bit. She giggled.

"Clove!" yelled Fenn from the doorway, "We're going to be late!"

Clove smiled once at Cinna before bounding out of the house.

* * *

**Phoenix's View:**

"You!" spat Loki.

"_Me._" said Phoenix calmly.

"You got me into this mess!" he cried. "You could've just let me fall through space after being disowned, but _no_ you had to send me to the Centauri!"

Phoenix raised what would have been an eyebrow, except cats didn't have eyebrows.

"_I don't know what you're talking about._"

"Oh, please!" snorted Loki, "What are the odds the nebula below me just explodes into a black hole? And what are the odds of me being sent through the black hole without feeling pain, despair, panic-"

"_Shut up. You're starting to bore me._"

Loki looked miffed.

_"I didn't come for nothing you know. I need answers fast."_

Loki snorted again.

"And what makes you think I will answer them?"

Phoenix turned into large red and gold bird, a phoenix, and flew to a small crevice in the glass.

_" How much do you wanna bet I can scorch you from here?"_ said Phoenix.

At that very instant a squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D agents swarmed the prison bay.

* * *

**Ash: ...and that will be the last you see of Phoenix until _after _the flashback!**

**Mint+Thyme+Cinna: WHAT?!**

**Ash: What? **

**Cinna: But...but...**

**Ash: But?**

**Mint: I wanna know what happens to her! **

**Ash: You'll find out soon! Btw I'm not uploading till I get ten reviews!**

**Thyme: You're killing me.**

**Ash: *looks her over* No you look fine.**

**Thyme: -_-" Please review people.**


	5. Chapter 5: The New Kid Has Problems

**Ash: Hah! I broke my mental block! And thnx for the reviews and feedback and I finally have a timeline going! I ACTUALLY have something to do this chapter.**

**Cinna: We got it, we got it, just get on with the story!**

**Ash: *glare* Okay! Please-**

**Thyme: Read and review!**

**Ash: Thyme!**

**Thyme: What? We don't wanna hear you talk.**

**Cinna: That's just mean.**

**Thyme: Meh. **

* * *

**Nicholas Fury**

Fury tapped his fingers against his desk. He had gotten word a day ago that a serum called "Shift" had been spilled in Laboratory C. A teenage girl had been contaminated, but there were no reports of abnormal changes or such. He hadn't thought much of it until a few hours ago when he had received an urgent call. Apparently the two doctors who had been the only ones to witness the said incident had died under mysterious circumstances, and the agents suspected foul play. Fury didn't want to turn his attention on the matter. It was small compared to Armageddon, but small things tended to snowball into major problems. Nick did not need more problems.

A knock on the door brought Fury back to reality. He called, " Come in."

The door opened and a youth entered. Fury gestured to the chair, and the young man sat.

" Listen," began Fury, " We've got a slight problem on our hands. You heard about Dr. Hasahad and Dr. Hashish?"

The youth nodded.

" Its not looking like a big problem, but I don't want anything out of hand."

The silent boy nodded to say go on.

" We think the girl who was involved the incident with the spilled chemical might shine some light on the matter."

The youth leaned forward, interested.

" We don't know who this girl is," continued Fury " but we know she's a sophomore according to Dr. Hashish's last notes. She goes to Maverly High School, just two blocks from here."

Fury looked up from hands and said plainly.

" I think you know what to do from here, hmm?"

The boy nodded.

"Dismissed."

* * *

**Clove's View:**

The tingling in the base of her skull began when Clove met the new kid. Clove had never had a problem with new people. They came all the time, but when she laid eyes on this one, a sharp tingling ran up and down her spine starting from her head. Every instinct was telling her to attack. This made no sense as she was positive she had never met this boy before. He was average height for guy, with fairly long light brown hair. His sea blue eyes darted around the room. His skin was a pale gold, as if he came from somewhere in the Middle East. His eyes settled briefly on her. The urge to attack rose sharply. She felt her eyes burn slightly for a moment, and then she rubbed her eyes. What in the world? The new kid looked at her oddly, then quickly looked away. Mrs. Marilynn, the homeroom teacher stood up.

"Well class, we have a new student."

The class didn't say anything. Well, duh, he was new. The kid smiled and raised his hand as if to say, "Hey."

"Do you mind introducing yourself?" Mrs. Marilynn pressed.

"Sholem. Sholem Leid." the kid said.

_Hebrew name_ thought Clove, then she frowned. How did she know that?

"What an interesting name!" Mrs. Marilynn trilled. "Now Sholem, there's a free desk between Fenn and Clove."

Both Clove and Fenn's eyes darkened. They had liked that space. Now if this kid sat there, they would be separated. Sholem obeyed and occupied the spot. Clove puffed a string of hair out of her eyes. Having Sholem sit next to her was not helping with the urges to attack him.

"Now class we will begin with the History of the Roman Empire today..."

Before she knew it, Clove found herself dozing off. Mrs. Marilynn's voice tended to have high trill that put you to sleep. Someone tapped on her shoulder.

"Someone is sleeping like a _chataltul_."

Clove opened one eye. Sholem was smiling at her, amusement glittering in his eyes.

"Her voice is annoying. What is a _chataltul_?"

" Well, it's Hebrew for little cat."

"Being Middle Eastern all is interesting, but the only three languages I know are Russian, Spanish, and English. So unless you speak Russian or Spanish, just stick with English." she said, not really minding the fact that he looked even more amused.

"You have interesting eyes."

Clove stiffened. How did he know...no, he was just flirting with her. How could he know?

"I don't care much for flattery, because they always seem to hide another rather nasty opinion." she said casually.

"Nasty opinion? Why would anyone have a bad thought about you?"

Clove rolled her eyes internally. Yep, just another flirt.

"You do realize my twin brother is sitting right next to you? Don't anger him by wasting your time flattering me. He likes hard-workers as his company. And he doesn't appreciate anyone moving in on his sister. Like any brother."

Sholem raised an eyebrow and said nothing more, but to Clove's great unease, he did not seem be done with her. In fact, he seemed more amused, as if thinking _She doesn't understand. Girls.  
_

That tended to tick her off.

The end of class came as a complete relief. She walked quickly out of class, hoping to avoid Sholem, but he had caught up to her in no time.

"Listen, I didn't mean to act as though I was...oh what is it you younglings say nowadays, a flirt?"

"Younglings?" Clove bristled "Like you're not 16 like the rest of us!"

Sholem muttered something unintelligent under his breath.

"What?"

He sniffed.

"I might as well get to the point." he said, annoyed. "When I ment you have interesting eyes, I ment you have...different eyes."

Clove's tension rose an octave. He didn't mean...

"I was just wondering how your eyes changed color."

That was pushing it over the edge. She laughed nervously.

" I really don't know what you're talking about. Listen we're going to be late for biology..."

"Actually," he said his eyes suddenly taking on a dangerous gleam."biology is going to have to wait. We both have a few things to talk about."

"Who are you?" demanded Clove. "You know what, I actually don't want to know you. Leave me alone."

She turned to walk away, when Sholem lunged forward and grabbed her arm. Clove's hand shot forward to slap him across the face, but he grabbed it. He twisted it behind her back, causing her to yelp in pain.

"I said," he whispered into her ear, "We need to talk."

* * *

**Cinna: ...**

**Ash: What?**

**Cinna: That's just creepy.**

**Thyme: It scared me out of my wits.**

**Cinna: Hey when does Sea finally-**

**Ash: CINNA! SHUT UP!**

**Cinna: -rolls eyes- Just wondering.**

**Ash: Okay peeps! This time I'll upload when I get 15 reviews. I think that's workable, no?**

**Thyme and Cinna: *glares at Ash***

**Ash: What? It's workable!**

**Cinna: Just Read AND PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Ash: Really?**


	6. Chapter 6: Mission Accomplished (Not)

**Ash: This...did not take long.**

**Mint: *blink* You don't hear that from authors very often, do you?**

**Ash: Well, I'm not really an author...**

**Mint: You write elaborate stories and publish them for the public to read. I believe that is the definition for an author.**

**Ash: *sniff* Since when did you become all knowledgable?**

**Mint: Since I stuck around Dr. Selvig.**

**Ash: I can't understand a single thing that guy says. That one time I stuck around him, I became, like, X_X. The only reason why I pay attention in Physics class is because I wanna find a way to defy every law! ****And get all A's...** ^_^ 

**Mint: You're insane. Read and Review!**

* * *

**Fenn's POV**

It hadn't taken Fenn very long to realize something was wrong. Clove had still not shown up for biology. She was _never_ late. She was known to have perfect attendance's all the time. He turned to the biology teacher.

"Excuse me, Clove's supposed to be-"

The teacher held up a hand for silence and looked out the classroom window.

"She isn't attending today's class."

Fenn blinked.

"What?"

"She won't be attending. Can you hear, boy?"

"Yes, but why?"

The teacher huffed impatiently.

"How would I know? Some agents from that government agency showed up looking about. They're interviewing her. You never know."

On that mysterious note, the biology teacher walked off.

Fenn frowned. Something was up.

* * *

**Clove's View:**

Clove's mouth was hanging open in shock by the time she and Sholem had exited the school. They had walked past the principal, the assistant principal, six teachers, seven councilors, and a bazillion students. None had batted an eye at her. It seemed that having some new guy drag a girl out of the school by the arm was perfectly normal. Someone really needed to get better security for these schools.

Sholem seemed amused at her bewilderment.

"I already told them I might pull out a student. Well, except for the students of course."

Clove growled angrily.

"Who are you?"

"I'm starting to get bored of that question."

"Then answer it, darn it!"

"No."

"Okay." Clove bit her lip. Time to get smart. "How old are you?"

Sholem's blue eyes flickered toward her.

"Do you ask every stranger that?"

"Granted, it's sometimes rude, but its not everyday strangers drag innocent girls away." said Clove sweetly.

"Innocent?" Sholem chuckled, "I doubt that very much. If Fury wants _Sea_ interviewing _you,_ you're far from innocent."

Clove frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

* * *

**Sea's View:**

Sea Eletto sat in the interrogation room. His pale fingers tapped against the small table. His blue eyes, verging on grey, looked bored and uninterested. He puffed his dirty blonde bangs out of his face. To the normal person, Sea would've looked like an officer in training, which wasn't far from the truth. He looked maybe just past a college first-year. He sat straight, his blue-grey eyes seemingly wistful. He didn't dress formally like many other agents. Today, he simply wore a black long-sleeve and black jeans. Very informal.

Sea had been assigned to look over something very minor. Just interview a girl relating to the deaths of the scientists, and then return to the "Norse Gods" situation. Nothing big or relatively important, just necessary. Not that it didn't make Sea feel just a bit unneeded.

A woman in her twenties poked her head in.

"Sholem and the girl are here."

"Thanks, Meredith."

The woman nodded and was just about to leave, until Sea called,

"Hey Meredith, wait!"

Meredith stuck her head back in with a questioning look.

"Ah, what's the girl's name?"

Meredith smiled.

"Hoping to make an impression?"

"Very funny."

"I wasn't joking. Her name is Clove. Clove Barton. You know, Hawkeye's girl?"

Sea frowned.

"He has a daughter?"

"Not biological, but yeah. Three daughters and two sons."

Sea yelped, "Jeez! How does he- ok that's besides the point."

"Oh, and I think you ought to know she doesn't know her dad is Hawkeye, so lets keep it that way."

"Fine. Send her in."

* * *

**Sea's View:**

When Clove Barton entered the room, Sea could tell that she was not blood-related to Clint, as she looked nothing like him. She was svelte with strong European accents. Russian, maybe? Her eyes were honey colored. Her hair was raven-black with streaks the color of amber, strongly accenting her eyes. She was wearing a red long sleeve sweater, possibly over back, and she wore dark blue jeans. The only thing Sea could see was the same strength and spirit in both Clove and Hawkeye .

Interesting.

Would that make her hard to break if it was necessary?

She stood in front of his partner, Sholem, who looked, for some reason, troubled.

She looked around the room, inspecting the room with a keen eye. Another similarity between she and Clint.

"It's not filled with torture devices. Sit." said Sea calmly.

"I didn't think so." she replied evenly. "Still, I wouldn't sit in an unfamiliar environment, especially with an unknown person telling me to."

She looked pointedly at Sea. A smile tugged at the corner of Sea's mouth. She was different. Maybe this would be more intriguing than he originally thought.

" Sit or stand, I don't care. Just answer my questions."

"I can't." she replied.

Sea frowned.

"Any reason why?"

"Because I don't know what they will be regarding."

Sholem started to look irritated.

"Just sit down. We don't have time for your smart talk."

The girl's sharp eyes glared distastefully at Sholem.

"I have the right to know why this guy _dragged_ me from school. I have classes, and I actually aim for college."

Sholem growled in his throat.

"Sholem!" said Sea sharply.

The fair-headed youth glared at Sea before sitting heavily in a chair.

Clove sniffed then sat in the chair opposite the two boys.

"Well, I want do _actually_ to know what I'll be answering."

"You don't even want to know who we are."

"I walked into the building my dad works at. It's S.H.I.E.L.D. It's a no-brainer, Agent Sea."

Sea had been hoping to surprise Clove by knowing her name, but he had not been expecting this. He felt as though she just slapped him across the face.

"How did you know?"

"I have ways. And don't worry, New Guy over here didn't spill. At least, he didn't mean to."

Sea didn't say anything. Instead, he pulled out a file.

"We're just investigating a small disturbance. There was a disturbance at one of our labs a few hours ago."

The girl narrowed her eyes.

"A few hours ago? What disturbance?"

Sea looked at Sholem, who seemed to have overcome his brief annoyance.

"By any chance did you know Dr. Sammad Hashish and Dr. Emanuel Hasahad?"

Clove nodded cautiously.

"Yes. is a family friend. I only met Dr. Hasahad recently."

"How recently?" inquired Sea.

"Yesterday, when he spilled one of his chemicals all over me. Accidentally, of course."

Sea looked meaningfully at Sholem, who nodded and said to Clove,

"Was the side effect color changing eyes?"

Clove flipped her bangs out of the mentioned sense.

"Isn't that how you identified me?"

Sholem exhaled slowly and put his index finger to his temple.

"Calm." warned Sea. "Let's not-"

"What happened to ?" interrupted Clove. "Did he blow up part of the lab on purpose or somethi-"

The last part ended in a shriek as Sholem fell to the floor, and lay immobile.

* * *

**Ash: ...Ouch?**

**Thyme: *glares at Ash before punching her hard in the shoulder***

**Ash: *yelp* What was that for?!**

**Cinna: *wail* Stop it!**

**Ash: Stop what?!**

**Thyme: Stop cliffhanging! Now I have to wait for a freaking _20 REVIEWS!_**

**Ash: Who said I was having a review limit? They either come too fast or too slow. *shrug* I'll just wait until the right time. Maybe...18 reviews?**

**Cinna and Thyme: *stares at Ash***

**Ash: No need to be so shocked, jeez. Review!**

**Cinna and Thyme: *throw a party***

**Ash: -_-''' Really?**


	7. Chapter 7: Sedation

**Ash: Ok, I've officially cut past another bit of cobwebs in my brain...**

**Everyone: ?**

**Ash: I ment that I hit another stone wall for a while, but guess what? I'm back!**

**Thyme: *still doesn't get it but doesn't push it***

**Cinna: *perplexed* okay, Read and Review!**

* * *

**Clove's View:**

Clove decided she had seen too many odd things today. First getting kidnapped from school by her Dad's own associates, Sholem taking a sudden detour into an alleyway and coming back strangely calm, and now this, Sholem keeling over like a guy struck dead. She didn't know what was weirder. As for Sholem's detour into the alleyway, he had mentioned something about a horned guy. She chose to ignore him, but it didn't make it any less creepy.

Sea grabbed Sholem and practically dragged him out of the room. Ouch. Did the people here not care about their peers? She shuddered and massaged her neck. Clove didn't generally scream, and the last yell hurt her throat. She looked into the glass that separated her from unseen evaluators. Her reflection shone back.

She thought back to when her eyes turned electric green. Could she voluntarily make it happen? She closed her eyes. She thought about her most prominent emotion. Confusion. She opened her eyes, and she let out a tiny gasp. Her eyes were a slivering mix of various grays with flashes of silver. As she watched, the color changed from gray to a shocking neon yellow color.

_It reflects my emotions _she deduced.

She closed her eyes and she thought of normalcy. She opened her eyes again and they turned back to amber.

"That's an interesting exercise." came Sea's voice. She froze.

"You do that often?"

He strolled into the room.

"What's with Sholem?" asked Clove, ignoring her general urge to answer the question.

"Just a sudden headache." he answered coolly.

"Some headache." replied Clove.

Sea didn't comment.

"What I was saying earlier was that there were two murders at the lab. Dr. Hashish and Dr. Hasahad."

Clove recoiled. Her eyes blazed a pale gray.

_"What?!"_

"They were murdered. We're quite sure of it."

"_Quite _sure?"

"It could also be classified as a lab accident. We're not sure yet, but if they were murdered, we think it may be because of you."

_"Me?!_" she cried incredulously.

"Not you, but the serum which so affects you." Sea hastily corrected.

"What's so special about it?" snorted Clove. "I haven't shape-shifted, so the serum failed."

"Still," persisted Sea. "We're going to have to keep you under S.H.I.E.L.D observation until we are sure you haven't been...changed."

"What?!" Clove's head was about to burst. "You're gonna keep me over night?"

"You'll be under constant surveillance until your release is authorized." continued Sea, obviously ignoring her question.

"_Hell _no!" Clove yelled. "I have school and family to take care of of, and you want me to stay in some god-forsaken facility, quarantined like I've got some infectious disease?!"

"We've already contacted your guardian." said Sea soothingly. "It's for your own good.

"For my own good, my foot!" snarled Clove. "I'm just another test subject!"

Sea's eyes turned stone cold, but Clove could care less. She stormed to door and tried to open it. It was locked.

"Let...me...out." growled Clove through gritted teeth. In the reflection of the interrogation glass she saw her eyes turned a dark, sinister purple.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Sea said coldly. "If you don't comply, I may have to subdue you to sedation."

Clove whirled around, her blood boiling with rage.

Was he _threatening her?_

"I'd like to see you try." she spat viciously.

Quick as a bolt of lightning, she saw him whip out the needle. She twirled and her kick was blocked.

_He's a trained professional. _she reminded herself. She flashed out her leg on his right, and, as expected, he turned to block it, exposing his left side. She quickly switched legs, landing a solid kick to the jaw. A bit high. Oops.

He doubled over clutching his mouth where a thin stream of blood ran down his hands. Only glimpses of his words were heard.

"Freak- holy- itch!"

Two pairs of strong hands pinned Clove to the wall.

She heard's Sea's gasps in her ears.

"Very...few...ever touch me and live." he hissed into her ears. "Count yourself lucky."

A sharp pain lanced up her neck as the needle pierced her skin, and the world went fuzzy, then black.

* * *

**Cinna: *Snort* Well that was stupid. Why'd you attack him?**

**Ash: *indignant* He threatened me! The nasty little bleeper threatened me! The stupid moron had it coming.**

**Thyme: *face palm***

**Mint: Read and Review!**


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